


In Memoriam (Or 'These kids never remember anything, please help them')

by SocksinSpace



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Amnesiac!Ghost!Arthur Kingsmen, Angst, Arthur fucking dies, Crazy Lewis, Ghost Arthur (Mystery Skulls Animated), Kidnapping, Lance just wanted the best for Arthur, Lance probably isn't going to have the best characterization from me despite how much I love him, Lewis is awful in this first chapter to me this is why I need a beta holy hell, Lewis makes a series of bad decisions, Mystery kinda wants to exorcise Lewis bigtime, also Mystery is getting increasingly angry at Lewis I don't know if anyone is okay with that, and everything hurts, but he's not evil at all, death messed with his head a lot so-, doesn't excuse his actions he's still an idiot, just bad at decisions and handling situations that don't include revenge, possible OOC? probably I mean I tore Jack's arm off and made Pitch a confusing mess in my other fic, so i guess less crazy and more mad!lew or badchoices!lew
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-08-05 05:44:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16361981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SocksinSpace/pseuds/SocksinSpace
Summary: Arthur is dead, and Lewis got what he's been aching for since his own demise. The traitor, themurdererwas dead.This is what he wanted, right?Right?





	1. Spike Mates

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea from an ask somebody sent to ectoimp's tumblr about Arthur dying, coming back, but getting memory loss. To all my readers of the Great Flaws and Shattered Glass series; I just don't have the inspiration for it right now, and I'm hoping that, by following my current muse which is MSA, I'll get that kick I needed to start writing 'Sandman, Bring me a Dream' again. I'm sorry, and I hope you enjoy reading 'In Memoriam' in the meantime.

He was getting what was rightfully his; Revenge. Revenge on the _pathetic_ excuse of a man who took his life away from him, the man who left his body to **ROT** in that cave, alone! _**FORGOTTEN!**_ Lewis would deal with the murderer in a similar fashion, with the wonderful satisfaction of watching Arthurs face as he fell to his well-deserved end. And then Lewis would be the one to leave his body behind to be left cold and alone and so very confused. _"Arthur"_ The enraged spirit shook the scrambling, scrabbling, worthless worm that was within his grip. The blonde choked and gasped, grabbing onto his sleeve in a weak grip.

Was that a metal arm? When did that happen? Thoughts that said something was wrong here screamed at him, but the ghost, fueled by his emotions as he was, brushed the first glaring clue aside in his mind. Arthur was a murderer, _his_ murderer- and Lewis would be **damned** before he let this opportunity pass him by a second time! The thrill of retribution at hand pulsed through his being like adrenaline, his 'heart' beating heavily, and the ghost bellowed. _**"KILLER!"**_

Flames burst forth from his suit collar and engulfed his skull in an overwhelming blaze, dissipating just as fast. Arthur stilled in his grip, confusion and terror warring in his eyes, staring disbelievingly at the figure before him. His voice, shaky though it was, could still be understood as he spoke in a quiet tone. _"Lewis?"_

And then he was falling.

The fall was fast- too fast for Lewis to react when his locket cracked and greyed, his thoughts suddenly swirling at how wrong it felt. But he wanted this! He- killing Arthur was supposed to be a point of pride, his revenge was supposed to make him feel better. It was justice being served, his own death would finally be avenged! It just felt so... so _wrong,_ like something in his very being was missing now that he had done this. Lewis was frozen in despair, unable to bring himself to reach out to Arthur- his best friend, oh god he'd killed his _**best friend**_ what has he done?- and just... watching, watching Artie fall, his visage one of shock.

He'd sounded so... so _despondent_ when the mechanic had said his name- as though he hadn't ever expected Lewis to be dead, like the news was utterly incomprehensible to him.

The barrage of emotion finally passed and Lewis could move again, only for him to nearly stop in his tracks again at the sight below him. Arthur, impaled right through the chest on a blood-smeared spike, eyes open wide and glassy. Pained. Lewis's form pulsed in and out of existence as he stared, absently floating towards the body, the _corpse_ of Arthur. _His best friend, dead, at Lewis's own hands._

"I wanted this- I, I did..." But then why did it cause him so much pain to see the result of his actions? "A-Artie... I-" A loud bang startled the large ghost, the sound reverberating around the cave and the **bullet** lodging itself in a particularly large stalagmite near his floating skull. Turning swiftly, Lewis found himself staring into the wide, angry and teary eyes of none other than Arthur's Uncle, Lance Kingsmen. The stout man quickly assessed the situation, gaze hardening into one of pure rage and grief. He cocked the gun, eyes narrowed at the ghost before him and mouth pulled into a terrifying sneer.

 _"L-Lance-"_ Lewis tried to start, hoping to explain. He knew better than that, however- he'd killed the man's nephew, what else is there to explain?

Lance cut him off with a bark of unbridled sorrow. "Who the fuck are you and what the fuck have you done to my nephew!?" the man demanded answers, and his face broke no arguments on that. **"He was just a boy, MY boy!"**

Slowly, painfully, a look of realization spread across the man's features like a virus that Lewis so desperately wanted to stop. The gun fell to the ground and with it Lance to his knees. He stared openly at Arthur's mangled corpse wide-eyed. "He's dead... you-" Lance turned to stare now at the ghost, the murderer. He'd thought Arthur was a murderer too, but his actions moments before spoke the possibility of that not being as true as he'd believed- but he was dead now and with him all of Lewis's answers.

"Lance, it's me- Lewis." He regretted admitting that fact the moment it was spoken, for how violently Lance Kingsmen flinched at hearing it. Lance, a little wall of brick, the man who'd been tougher than steel in so many terrible situations, had flinched in what seemed to be possible shock and fear. "I- He-"

A howl caught Lance and Lewis's attention, followed by a scream from-

"Vivi!" 

Lance stood and turned the gun on him, stopping Lewis in his tracks despite that it wouldn't do him any actual harm. **"YOU** stay the hell away from her! I lost my Artie, but I won't let you hurt her too! I'll be _back_ for you, _Pepperman_." he then turned around and ran towards the source of the sound.

Not heeding the warning Lewis made to follow the shorter mechanic- but was stopped again by the sound of pulsing.

Slowly, he turned, and-

~~~~~~~~

Everything felt awfully fuzzy and congested for Arthur, dark, too, since he couldn't see a thing right now. He tried to move, but couldn't, stuck in some form of sleep paralysis. It sure was dreary.

 _'Hello?'_ He tried to call, voice soundless. All was quiet.

It'd be nice if someone were to help him, his chest really hurt. Almost like somebody had stabbed him in the heart or something equally painful.

 _'Hello, anyone there?'_ Arthur tried again, still voiceless, still in pain- it was starting to become a little scary.

Then the quiet was replaced with unintelligible yelling and a loud bang, it was a weird experience to say the least, as the young man felt like an intruder on whatever was being said. A light began to shine that caught his attention instead, and he almost felt himself move towards it, a twitching feeling where he thought his hand might be. But- something felt off here, too... Like, like he shouldn't go towards that light, at least not now- he wasn't ready, he didn't think he _deserved_ it, somehow. So instead, he focused on the voices again, which stopped after another moment.

Somehow that made him sad, and Arthur reached out the voices.

~~~~~~~~

Lewis's eye sockets were wide and horrified at what he saw.

Arthur, ghostly hair half-formed, staring at him with a curiosity he'd never seen him show towards the supernatural before. Arthur stared at the ghost for a long, painful moment, before saying something that immediately put Lewis on high guard.

"Who are you, and where am I, exactly?"


	2. Candy From Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lewis makes terrible decisions because of his emotions, killing his best friend out of a misguided desire for revenge being just one of many. This one, though... Well, he can only hope that Lance doesn't go hunting him down for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly did not expect such a swift, positive reaction to this fic, and I am so goshdarn stoked to see how happy everyone was with the first chapter! Seriously, you guys, _thank you_ for reading. Enjoy this next chapter!

Arthur, upon seeing the horror in the stranger's eyes- sockets- realized he'd likely not be getting answers from them at the moment, taking the time instead to examine his surroundings. It was a _very_ pink cave, with heavy fog and a general sense of foreboding about it. It was... rather unsettling, really, and so he switched his attention again, this time onto himself. There was sort of a numbness in him at the moment, like shock almost; like he wasn't able to really _comprehend_ just yet what this whole situation suggested. So it wasn't really all that surprising- yet- to see that his limbs were pretty not-alive-looking. One was a terrifying mass of gaudy orange energy, shifting and sparking in the vague approximation of what was clearly an attempt at looking like a human arm. The other was black with bone-like plates on the hand. _'Freaky'_ the newborn ghost thought absently.

Then he had the brilliant idea to look down at his body.

There was a massive, gaping hole in his chest.

_**"What the fuck what the fuck whatthefuck!"**_ He screamed, the sound reverberating in a warbling, unnatural tone. The sound also happened to startle the still staring Lewis into action, immediately going to try and calm him down. "Why is there a hole in my chest!? What is going on!??? _Why the heck does my voice sound so weird!?_ " Lewis made a few shushing sounds, not saying a word and just gathering the new ghost into his arms and holding him, rubbing a large hand up and down his back, ever mindful of the hole there. It surprisingly didn't take very long for Arthur to still and quiet again, though sparks that expressed his distress made crackling sounds which sounded far too loud in the otherwise dense silence of the cave. The moment of peace did, however, give Lewis just enough time to think things through.

"Do you... remember, anything? From before right now? And be honest with me, I can't help if you lie." Said the not-so-gentle giant in as calm a voice as he could possibly muster. There was another tense moment of silence, Arthur seeming to think on what to do.

A sound not unlike a sigh escaped the smaller golden ghost before he spoke in a small and very much afraid voice. "N-No I- I don't remember a thing... What happened to me?" he asked, looking up into Lewis's magenta... dots? They certainly weren't your typical human eyes. Arthur looked so very lost and afraid, not wanting to believe what was right in front of him. The floating skull of Arthur looked down again to see his body, and a sob rang out, staticky and raw sounding, like radio feedback. _"Oh god, I'm-"_

Dead. He was dead. Arthur only knew three things right now:   
1\. He was dead  
2\. His first name  
3\. He was currently terrified out of his mind

The larger of the two turned Arthur's vision away from the corpse and gave the young man a sympathetic expression. "You fell, from the cliff up there," He pointed upwards before continuing. "You were raving about something- I couldn't make out what, and before I knew it you'd tripped over the edge." Lies, all of it, and he felt horrible for it. He just couldn't bring himself to say the truth either. Lewis gave Arthur a moment to process the information given, softly carding his hand through the electricity that made up the young ghost's wispy hair, now finally beginning to take proper shape as the time spent dead lengthened. In the silence, he also schemed.

Lewis couldn't let Lance OR Vivi and Mystery find Arthur like this now that he'd lied, it'd make the whole situation that much worse. And, besides, Lew didn't want to leave Arthur to figure out how to be a ghost all on his own, _especially_ with such severe memory loss. If he wanted to keep the lie going- he had to leave, and take Arthur with him. Soon, too, because he hadn't heard a gunshot from the shorter mechanic in quite a while. God, this was so fucked up.

"Come with me," He said, standing and allowing Arthur to stand on his own. "I've been dead for a while now, I can help you figure things out, but we can't stay here."

Arthur hesitated, still shocked about the whole situation and thoughts swirling like a tsunami thrashing a remote island. He was scared, so scared, and he really didn't want to be alone...

"I don't even know you."

"I don't know you either, but I'm still wanting to help."

The smaller ghost let out a frustrated crackle, a current popping from his arm and dissipating soon after. "But _why_ do you want to help me?"

A long pause, both individuals silently staring; one thinking, the other waiting. Finally, though, Lewis answered him:

"Because I died here too, and I was all alone. I don't want you to be alone, too."

~~~~~~~~

Lance had only managed to get Mystery to listen to him after the battle with that crazy tree bitch, while Vivian seemed to be ignoring him altogether since the word 'Lewis' left his mouth. The dog-fox-demon-thing had quickly put her to sleep when she began to become distressed at her inability to remember something and made Lance wait while he disposed of Shiromori's clippings.

"She's not dead," He'd said, throwing a twig into the fire he'd somehow managed to prepare with his demon magic once the battle had finally ended. "I don't think she really can die, but I know that she'll be gone for quite a while at least, to lick her wounds."

"Then why burn the twigs?"

The kitsune snorted at the question in such a way it indicated his belief that Lance was somehow too ignorant to respect at that moment. "They'd just regrow, though smaller and weaker, but I do not believe you'd appreciate Yokai growing here like little blue weeds. This species of tree doesn't even belong in America either way."

Finishing his task, Mystery allowed Lance to continue, and the fox's eyes widened in horror with every word he spoke.

A moment passed, and then another, and soon Lance realized that the buzzing he'd begun to hear was Mystery _growling_ in a steadily increasing volume. The beast roared in anguish and leaped to all fours. 

_"Take me to him"_

~~~~~~~~

Lewis had already snuck them away, Arthur having fallen into a sleep-like state of rest to recharge his expenditure of energy earlier. He'd likely be unresponsive for the next few hours, and so Lewis simply carried him out of the cave and into the night.

God, he prayed that Lance wouldn't hunt him down like a dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lewis no, you don't kidnap your amnesiac ghost friend, this won't end well- lEWIS STOP RETURN THE BEAN BOY TO HIS UNCLE THIS INSTANT.


	3. Someone Needs to stop Lewis Immediately

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mystery is in shock, Lance is grieving, and Lewis-
> 
> Dear Lord, _Lewis is an idiot._
> 
> He just wants to protect his undead behind, while Mystery wants answers and retribution of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much like my two other big fics, this one will have perspective splits in individual chapters. It's admittedly a crutch of mine because I find it exceptionally difficult to not use them without spending months trying to find the perfect flow of words as compensation... I'll try not to use as many as I have in my other big fics, and I'm sorry if my writing gets a little weird at times. I have found good practice in writing my fantasy book though so there's that. _-whispers- and guess what? No splits in my book so far! yay!_

Mystery paced the space, now nothing more than your average semi-trailer. He could _smell_ the death that lingered, knew that this was the only place Arthur's corpse could have been. But there was no blood, no body, no trace of a supernatural occurrence- no evidence that Arthur was ever here. It was like he'd vanished, along with the foul being who cut his life short. Emotions or not, Mystery feels no sympathy for murderers. "I'm going to exorcize that pitiful wraith" The kitsune grumbled in anger, red eyes narrowed dangerously and teeth bared. Lance was near inconsolable right now, waiting outside the semi on his knees, head in his hands and finally taking in the fact that his nephew was gone. His sobs only served to drive the fox yokai into a deeper rage. The anger wasn't directed at the mechanic, no- no, his anger was directed only at Lewis.

Mystery knew what had happened that night in the cave, the demonic entity that clung to Arthur like a disease from the moment they entered, the chill in the air that became worse and worse as they went further into the cave's depths. The kitsune was so very naive to believe that the entity was too weak to bring Arthur any harm, weakly pawing at him like it was but gaining no leeway.

So, so naive.

The instant that the group split, that entity grew stronger and had sent Mystery into panic mode, and he'd followed the two men out of fear for them. That... _thing,_ had already done the deed when he'd come upon the scene to fix his now fatal error... Hundreds of years old, and still as stupid as he was in his first century. Neglectful, even, to the children he'd called his own. Vivi had lost her memory, Arthur his arm, and Lewis his life. Mystery sighed in discontent, giving up his fruitless search to exit the trailer. As he did, though, something crossed his mind; Lewis was likely out for revenge, as the last thing he'd seen was Arthur pushing him to his doom. 

Perhaps he'd gone the cliche route and given Arthur the old-fashioned 'tit for tat' treatment... it was at least worth a shot to look.

"Lance, I need you to pull yourself together for a moment." the yokai spoke softly, kindly, to the weeping man. Said individual rose his eyes to meet Mystery's own and chuckled mirthlessly in lieu of a true response.

"Why?" He asked simply, not bothering to wipe his red eyes as they drain away into his beard.

"Why? Lance, Vivi doesn't know that Arthur is dead, and she is going to have quite a few questions regarding me, much like I suspect **you** also have when she wakes. Being the only adult here, you will need to keep watch on Vivian until I return wi-" Immediately Lance stood and squared up to the creature, still intimidating as ever despite his short stature. _'Never judge a book by its cover, the man still terrifies me and I am both larger and older than him.'_

"Return? Where d'ya think you're going!?" Lance growled irately, balled fists threatening a good what if he disliked the giant fox creature's answer. Mystery groaned in frustration.

"I'm going off a hunch, much as I loathe to do so, and attempting to find where Arthur's body is now since it has been removed from the semi-trailer. How that blasted spirit got away without me noticing is truly astonishing.." Likely while they were still distracted with other things. He _had_ forced Lance to wait until he'd finished the task at hand before giving the man's panic any thought. Yet another failure of his to care for his children. "Lewis died in a cave, and if it was the _same cave_ then demanifestation of the truck's supernatural properties destroyed whatever portal connected it to the cave, and it would _have_ to be the same cave, since otherwise demanifestation would get rid of just the projection, not any individual that was mangled there." 'Mangled' was a bad word to use, as the kitsune was clocked in the snout soon after uttering it.

"Bastard!" Lance cried, indignant on his nephew's behalf.

"I... Deserved that. You've got quite the punch."

"Damn straight I do, for idjits like you talking ill of the recently deceased."

"I'm still in a bit of shock, really, but you seem to be going for anger at the moment."

The mechanic huffed bitterly, sending a less-than-savory sign Mystery's way before storming away towards the shop where Vivi was sleeping soundly. "Just go- find Artie's body..." With his back turned, the man allowed himself to cry a bit longer. _"B-Bring 'im home, I want to give him a decent funeral."_

There was no reply, but something told Lance he didn't even need to ask.

~~~~~~~~

"This should do," The large ghost uttered, looking around the small cottage. He could easily spruce it up a bit to suit his visual needs, but otherwise, the general non-functionality was a plus. He was dead, after all, the most he needed was some recreational activity to keep him sane.

At least, he'd thought he was sane until he'd murdered his best friend in what now appears to be an unwarranted act of vengeful violence.

Mostly sane, in that case.

"Hopefully when Artie leaves his little stasis he'll be calmer. I need to teach him about energy conservation first. Spirits only have so much, after all." all his deadbeats nodded in agreement, even the usually mopey one, the one who has been cooing over Arthur since he fell into stasis. It was actually kind of cute when he thought about it, though severely dampened by the rather unpleasant circumstances.

 _'How am I going to handle this situation?'_ Lewis asked himself, already aware of how utterly screwed he was. If he thought he was dead now, he could only fathom what Lance, Mystery, and Vivi would have in store for him. Which was why-

"I need you all to make this location as secure as possible. Instead of attracting anyone, _keep them away_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last bit was a little short, but that's only because it's really late and I'm super tired. I wanted to get this out though before I entered the procrastinator's circle trying to decipher if I'm actually a good writer or not lmao. I'm still so excited to see everyone's happy responses, but don't be afraid to let me know the things you might not like or think I could improve on in the future! I appreciate any input and I wish to do my best to entertain you wonderful readers.


	4. Lewis Does a Dingus thing AGAIN but is that really surprising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lewis aggressively plays the violin to escape his mistakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking a few days to upload, I was with my mother trying to finally, _finally_ get my drivers license, and I passed!!! Yey. Almost 20 and I can finally drive without someone in the car with me, but at least I'm finally there!

It would take a while yet for Arthur to wake from his pseudo-hibernating state, allowing Lewis the time needed to suit his own needs in adjusting the decor of the rundown home they were in. Nothing overly fancy like the mansion had been, no- He had no need for endless rooms and halls, or a fully stocked kitchen and furnished suites, the plan that coincided with those additions was worthless to him now that he'd made his choice to lie to Artie. This new home would be simple; a plain lounge area, two rooms with safe places to hibernate when the ghost's energy depleted, a music room for Lewis, an empty room for whatever hobby Arthur took up in his afterlife, and a training room.

They would most assuredly _not_ be leaving the little hovel until there was no doubt in Lewis's mind that they, or more accurately, _he_ was safe from Mystery, Vivi, and Lance. There was no way in hell that Lewis would pull out from this trainwreck of stupidity now, not after stealing an amnesiac Arthur away and abandoning the body. 

He knows he could've stopped there, could have said the truth from the beginning, but he also could have just not been a vengeful spirit and sought answers instead of cold, hard, ruthless revenge.

Lewis moved from room to room, carefully setting Artie in his 'bedroom' before adjourning to the simplistic little lounge he'd created to sit heavily upon the plush couch, thoughts racing about his most unpleasant situation. _'This is starting to feel like I'm a stepmother or witch keeping the princess locked away in a tower.'_ The large ghost mused humorlessly. How would Arthur feel when he rose again? Like a bird trapped in a cage? Cliche, perhaps, but a likely outcome all the same. A not-sigh sound escaped Lewis and he leaned forward, skull in his large hands, phantom churning in a stomach that did not exist. 

With abrupt swiftness, the guilty ghost rose and went to his music room, where there lies a skull-shaped violin inlaid with roses, and a single, gold orchid.

Gently and with great reverence, he picked up the violin, the tension in his body draining away with every second it was within his grasp. The ghost brought his bow to the strings of the violin and played.

~~~~~~~~

Arthur woke suddenly, bright yellow pinpricks popping into existence within black sockets. The world around him was dark, and he felt the oppressive weight of claustrophobia in his breastbone. If he could wheeze, or breathe in general, he would- and then he'd panic. The only thing that stopped him was the sound of somber music playing in the distance, somewhere outside the tight dark space he was encased in. It allowed him a moment to realize that there was a crack of faint light just to his right and that the space of darkness could be opened. So, he did and found himself wishing blindness upon himself from the overwhelming pink and purple. 

_'Just like that cave... Where am I?'_ Arthur thought to himself absently, walking instead of floating through the room. It unnerved him a little, to not hear his footsteps as he moved, but he trudged forward towards the sound of music, ignoring the all-encompassing ache of knowing that he was dead, but not who he was in life.

The ghost who he'd met in the cave told him that he'd been alone when he came back. Had he forgotten his life too, was that why they were here? To... to find out who they were, get closure, move on? It was so bizarre to be dead, to lack all the benefits of living, and not even really remembering what they were like. He knew food, knew it tasted good to a living being, knew all sorts of random things. Basic things, like they were just ingrained into his memory, both mind and muscle.

Although, he didn't really have muscle anymore, technically. The dead do not have that need as far as he was aware.

Slowly he continued onward, down a short hall and passed two more closed doors, till he reached on that had been cracked open just a touch, just enough to look inside and see what was going on. The other ghost, playing a sad tune, sockets closed in what Arthur could only describe as a creepy fashion. Bone wasn't meant to move that way, like real flesh-and-blood eyes. He had no _eyelids._ Gross.

After a few seconds of watching, Arthur noticed the tune picking up momentum, speeding up with the growing emotion on the skele-ghost's bone face... Fear, frustration, whatever it may be. He leaned into the music as he played, dancing with it, pink ectoplasmic sweat beading at his brow and dissolving as it fell, face creased in consternation and what could be mild distress. The tempo grew and grew, swelling in an erratic beat to the thump of a cracked heart locket, forming into a crescendo of aggression and a clear show of emotional venting. _'Something has him worked up, I wonder what?'_

The mesmerizing display had Arthur's gaze focused only on the dead being that had held him in his grief, his own locket- also a heart, but blood red in color- beginning a soft _thump thump thump_ at the sight. When it ended, so did the red heart's beating, and Arthur was left feeling empty. He felt oddly sad at the tune ending, like he'd heard such beautiful playing before, once upon a time...

"Arthur?" The ghost asked, breaking Arthur out of his trance. He took a moment to reply back, but a moment was all he needed to realize something.

"How do you know my name?" He asked, deadpan, yellow orbs shrinking to pinpricks in the looming darkness of the doorway. If Lewis were human, the sight would be terrifying.

"What do you mean?"

_"I never told you my name, how do you know it?"_

~~~~~~~~

**An hour before Arthur woke:**  
Mystery was a fast runner, fast enough to cover the distance from Tempo to the cave where Lewis died in just under two hours. He had sniffed through for another fifteen minutes before making his way to the pitfall, slowly, a part of him not wanting to be right and see Arthur's body at the bottom of the cave. Of course, he knew he was right the moment he got halfway there, with how much the smell of decay was building, the scent of a fresh corpse starting to expel itself.

He looked down from the ledge, and if it weren't for his age and sheer willpower, Mystery would have broken down into uncontrollable tears at the sight. The back of Arthur's skull was caved in from the fall, congealed blood soaked into blond hair, a stalagmite had torn clean through his chest cavity, ripping through his heart like wet tissue paper. The chest wound was the killing blow, an instant but horribly painful death if the frozen look on the boy's face was anything to go by.

"This won't do, I can't let Lance see you like this- Horrendously mangled, torn to pieces because of that- that-" He growled lowly.

"But, he's already seen you, hasn't he? Seen what that brute did to you. Killed you, _murdered you_ "

Mystery gently, oh so gently, plucked the body from the stalagmite and placed it onto his back. His tails swished in agitation, his teeth bared in mounting rage, and the feral growl reverberated through the large chasm. The fox yokai left that cave with one thing in mind: Lewis would regret he'd ever come back from the dead. Mystery would be sure of **that**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone volunteer to help Mystery kick some pink/purple ghost butt?


	5. educationem humo operies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lewis keeps his lie by compounding on it with more lies, but how long will it last? Distractions insue and the cycle of hate and revenge festers for one angery fox boi.
> 
> Oh, and Vivi is awake now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title was provided to you by Google Translate. I was going for 'Shit is fucked' in Latin but that's what it gave me. Read the end note for translation, my dudes.

"I- uh, well- I mean" Arthur sparked, floating into the room, still as death and skull tilted in a display of curiosity- and suspicion.

"I just died tonight," He spoke, quiet and calm. "I _died_ , I have no clue who I am aside from a name, who my **family** is, and I???" A laugh, also quiet, but shaking and fearful. "I. Don't. Know. You."

"Arthur I-" He tried, not sure what to say as fear gripped his cracked locket in its overwhelming vice. _'Already my lie is falling apart, what am I going to DO?'_ Slowly, he raised his hands, placating and as shaky as Arthur's voice. "I know your name because-"

A mini explosion of bright, yellow and orange light overtook his vision, sending him flying back into the garish walls of his self-made home. _'Oh, right... New ghost, very strong- **Very erratic.** Oh god I'm fucked if I don't get this under control.'_

Arthur grabbed onto his skull for dear life, whatever 'life' this was now, and felt overwhelming confusion. This stranger didn't _know_ him, so how did he know his _name!?_ Rationality was completely thrown to the wind at the moment in what seemed to be an unbelievably intense moment of panic. A panic attack, perhaps, but regardless of the cause, something had to be done. Soon. Lewis realized this when he raised his gaze to the distressed silhouette of Arthur, thinking only how it was himself who had brought them both into this messed-up situation. It was his duty to get them out- or, well, at least make it easier to bear. 

He made his way quickly to Arthur's side and held him as he did in the cave, not allowing himself to be pushed away by Arthur despite the crushing force his companion was pushing at him with. They'd done this before, when Arthur was panicking and afraid- so much so he couldn't even hear, or see sometimes, it was just so overwhelming. But Lewis would hold him, tightly and calmly and he'd run a hand down his back, trying his best to be that solid object he needed to come back to himself. He missed those days. He did just that now, just until Arthur was back to himself, making little sounds of confusion and clear distrust.

Of course, he distrusted Lewis, he didn't know him after all.

A moment passed in silence as Lewis thought desperately for an excuse, another lie to spin in his little web he'd begun building for himself... "The reason I know your name is because I heard you use it before you died." Lewis was disgusted with himself.

"What?" The smaller ghost sounded suspicious again. Fuck.

"When you were raving, I heard you refer to yourself as Arthur, but nothing else after that- I couldn't get close enough in time to hear anything before you fell." Disgusting, horrid, he was such a terrible person. The lie was so weak as well, there was no way that Artie would believe it-

"Oh, okay."

-Or maybe he would. Wow, alright then.

"Ah- Well, now that we've gotten that cleared up- why don't I show you around? It's small, but I have a room you can use for whatever you wish."

"Th-Thanks... Uh, sorry, by the way- for the outburst that is." Artie was clearly mortified, thinking he was the one at fault as always- If only he knew.

"Don't worry about it, new ghosts are always like that for the first week. You'll probably be out cold for another few hours after that energy expenditure though."

~~~~~~~~

Mystery paced as he waited for Lance- and a newly awoken Vivi, poor, poor Vivi- to finish their crying over Arthur's stiff body. He was _furious_ , absolutely enraged by the turn of events. Arthur had probably died so afraid. Had Lewis revealed himself to the young Kingsmen, thinking that he'd get to see a final look of guilt on his 'murderer's' face? Was he satisfied? Did he **enjoy** it? Did Lewis-

No. _Not Lewis. **A Monster.**_

The Kitsune Yokai snarled at the thought, letting for a fateful moment the anger to fester, to writhe inside him like a mindless beast. His breastbone swelled with a contempt he could no longer seem to control, and dug his claws into the concrete yard of the shop, cracking it beneath his paws. The sounds startled Lance and Vivi, the former resting a hand on the latter's shoulder when she went to stand, visage one of confused determination mourning. Her eyes were red and wet, glasses askew and hair a mess. She had been sobbing since she woke half an hour ago when Mystery had first returned, first terrified and then hysterical. She'd clung to Arthur's cold corpse before being carefully pulled away by an equally hysterical but concerned Lance. Even seeing his nephew's corpse didn't stop him from trying to protect the girl he'd long seen as his own.

He'd held her as she wept, stray tears escaping him between hiccups.

Lance looked to Vivi, holding her back from approaching and giving her a look that only meant to wait and let him handle the situation. Still forlorn and shocked to her core, the young woman reluctantly acquiesced. 

"Where was his body?" The stocky man asked calmly as he could manage.

"The cave." Vivi made a choking noise.

"The place where Arthur lost his arm? _that_ cave?" She asked. Mystery nodded. "But that's impossible! It's so far, how-"

"To tell you the truth would be a risk to your health at this moment in time, so I'm afraid certain details must be left out," He stated quickly. "Ask another question."

"Vivi, please- I can handle this."

"No, Lance, I need to know!" Feathers assuredly ruffled, Vivi stomped up to the giant fox demon on the verge of tears, fists clenched and ready to fight if she has to. _"What happened to my Artie, you big beast!"_

"I can't say, Vivian." 

"WHY THE HECK NOT!?" 

"Because, _Vivian,_ it would be a risk to your health. I just stated that." 

"I don't trust you! Who killed him!? Was it you??" 

_**"It most definitely was not me."** _

Vivi screamed in frustration, punching Mystery in the chest with her fists. He had to give it to her, for someone who appeared unconfrontational, she had quite the right hook. "YOU BIG, DUMB BEAST!" She cried desperately, suddenly looking around- presumably for an effective weapon to beat him with. He very quickly knocked her over and held her there with a firm paw. 

"You'll get your answers, Vivi- I promise. I _know_ I lied about what I am, I know you're angry and desperate and mourning for Arthur, but telling you the truth will only cause you pain right now. All I can say is that he was murdered by a spirit. Until I can find that spirit and fix whatever he's done to you, before killing him a second time, you won't know everything that you wish to. _Now_ ," He removed his paw from her stomach and sat straighter, a firm look on his face. "Lance, please call the police- tell them that you were asleep when Arthur, returning home from a trip, crashed into the shop. I'll get rid of the truck and set his body up." 

Upon seeing the looks of disbelief and disgust on their faces he scowled. "I don't much enjoy it either, you two, but we have to in order to save face. This whole night was a disaster, and the van crashed into the area isn't going to look good. Besides, he deserves a proper funeral, like you said, Lance." 

"Right... I- I'll go an' get that call done, then." 

"I'm not going anywhere," Vivi stated firmly. 

"And I'm not asking you to, just watch me if you must- I know better than to fight you on rest in a situation like this anyhow." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excrement education and, when re-translated, education and cover. Nice.


	6. Ta-dah!! Sard Borken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's spar, he told Arthur. 'Let's test your strength.' Because yeah, that's a good idea. Even calm or anxious or scared, Artie was still a new ghost with immense power that was yet to settle.
> 
> Goddamnit, why was he such an idiot????

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls forgive me I wrote this in the middle of the night. I suffer.

"I don't like the idea of that, dude." Lewis sighs despondently, souring mood exuding from him in waves of exasperation, magenta eyes looking on into the distance. _'Why me,'_ he asks himself silently _'Why me. To be tormented for my greatest mistake?? A killer, who killed a killer that might not actually be a killer.'_ The large spirit, perturbed by the tongue-twister performed in his thoughts, took Arthur's hands gently into his stove pot-sized paws. The contrast dwarfed the smaller ghost by an embarrassing amount, leading his skull to shine a bright shade of golden yellow, bright as a thousand watt light.

The small ghost squeaked uncomfortably, "I just don't like it, why would I need to fight anyway? I'm dead." A pause, uncomfortable for both of them. "We're _both_ dead, dude."

"You say that, yeah, but being dead doesn't mean you don't need to fight," Lewis replied sombrely, thoughts coming to mind that he ignores for the time being. "Just... Sparr with me? It will help you learn how to control your powers at least." He assures, tone one of comfort. "Is that a good enough reason? I promise it'll be fine." That seems to do the trick, as Arthur quickly gives into Lewis's suggestion at the mention of control over his exceeding strength. The large purple ghost is given a nod, and he's quick to whisk them both away to the training room he'd prepared earlier.

_'I don't trust Lance to come after me. That man is like a bloodhound, and with knowing that I **killed** his nephew, I can only imagine what he wants to do with my ghostly butt.'_

The dead young man walked away from his amnesiac ward to the other end of the room with nothing but the ignorant thought of 'I can show him how it's done, kinda like in those movie training montages'

Standing before his deceased best friend was still unbelievably jarring, with his sparking yellow hair and bleach white skull, the teeth jagged and small, and an arm of what seemed to be pure ghostly energy. It was unsettling, _wrong,_ and Lewis couldn't help but feel angry at that. Not at himself, even, though that would be the logical thing to assume; he was just **angry** beyond belief. He stared empty sockets upon empty sockets, upon still dirtied clothes and puncture wounds, upon an unrectifiable mistake. A tragedy of his own, humble making. Lewis stared, and he raged.

Arthur was startled by the sudden movement of his seeming mentor, as well as by the faster movement he made himself, dodging out of the way in a hasty retreat from potential danger. He spun, watching as the assailant readied for another attempted blow, and screamed a high-pitched sound. The scream broke glass windows and stretched the limits of his undead vocal range to an extensive degree. It also happened to stop the coming onslaught of punches Lewis was about to hurl his way by way of flinging the larger man into the wall with a loud, heavy **-Thump-**

The crash caused Arthur's fight or flight response to enhance itself into dangerous territory, flinging his ghostly body over to Lewis at a speed beyond recognition...

And punching him so hard the cottage sunk a full foot into the ground with the force.

"Oh, God!" He cried in distress, the moment of panic passing soon as it arrived, and he scurried to a dark corner to hide. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me!" 

"No- No worries, Arthur." The elder ghost replied with the gusts of winter winds in his bewildered tone. _'I wasn't even that strong when I was new. What the fuck?'_ He stood, relieving himself momentarily of a corporeal form so the dust and debris fell through him with ease. "That was short but sweet." He added, mind now wandering to his flash of rage. 

_'If he'd been any weaker, Arthur would have been turned to ectoplasm... I need to get myself under control before I even think about getting **him** under control.'_ Lewis turned to find Arthur, to speak to him and excuse the sparring for now- 

Only to find him unconscious and regaining spent energy.

"Oh."

~~~~~~~~

Hours later, Lance's Workshop:

Vivi paced the office floor, head in her hands and fingers twitching.

"Outrageous!" She cried, "That big- big- big buffoon expects me to sit here and do nothing!? I'm the Supernatural expert here, learned everything from Granny Yukino! He can't just keep me locked away, Lance! I don't flibbing care if he's trying to protect me, either! I can take care of myself!"

"Yeah," Lance said distractedly. "Like you handled plant bitch."

In a moment of silence, Lance believed he'd gotten Vivi to quiet for the time being. However, he only found himself being hit in the head by a giant plastic coin bank. "OW!" 

"Don't be such a baby, Lance, you cursed! I thought we agreed to no cursing. Bad. Put a dollar in the swear jar." Lance gave a long-suffering sigh. "No! Shh, Just put a dollar in the jar, so I can get back to planning my great escape." With yet another sigh, Lance took his wallet from his pocket and placed a dollar in the jar, as demanded. However, he didn't allow Vivi to walk away after doing so like she'd been intending.

"You want to find whoever killed Artie, I know- I do too kid," The elder man started, voice gruff and grief-laden. "But you can't just go charging into this. It's too personal."

"I'm the professional, Lance! He-"

"He's a professional too, remember? Not only that, but he's older than my aunt Terra a 'hundred times over I bet you, and an actual supernatural creature to boot." The man stood, leading Vivi to sit in his chair instead. "I wish I could strap up and go a-huntin' for the thing that murdered my boy, Vi'" The girl whimpered pathetically, imagining Arthur's body, laying there... Cold and rotting. "But I can't. I won't. Because for all his ignorance of us humans, I trust that big furry mutt to do what's right..."

_'I just hope I'm not wrong,,,'_


	7. May I offer you an egg in these trying times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the fuck did these eggs come from???? - Lewis at a pile of eggs, whilst the deadbeats snicker in the corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this at 1:39 am on my phone at 33% battery life.

Mystery growled at the trail's end, the coursing, sweltering magic of the dead cutting off abruptly and ascending into the sky. "Great," the kitsune yowled lowly, teeth clamped tight and breath ragged with his unabated rage. He paced, no, he prowled a short space, eyes glued to the spot where the leaking yellow and pink energy suddenly disperses. He knew it could not have ended here, not really, not truly.

He was old, and knew an illusion when he saw one.

But what made this one so infuriating was that it clearly had not been the intention of its maker. It was accidental, and that was an immensely hard illusion to break. Why, one might feebly ask? To which the answer would be this convoluted mess; a lack of focus when creating an illusion, such as an accidental, or subconscious illusion, means there is no 'starting point' from where the maker began. It just... exists. It is the product of a desire. In this case, to be concealed.

Mystery snarled in aggravation, gnashing his teeth, and huffing irritably. "He is clearly very determined not to be found, if such a monstrosity as this was produced." 

Horrendous, really. 

~~~~~~~~

What the fuck...

"Why-" the speaker cuts himself off, eyeing the oddity before him.

It is a pile of warm eggs, with Danny Devito's face individually painted on at least twelve (and a half) of them in uncoordinated strokes. On one his skin was an ugly shade of chartreuse. Yuck. The speaker ponders, awe-struck in the worst possible way.

The speaker is Lewis, and he is very confused.

That is, to say, he's confused about why the eggs are here, and where they came from... and who poorly painted twelve and a half with Danny Devito's face. He knew the meme, old as it may be. It was from a show Arthur always watched when he was... alive.

"Why are there eggs in here?" He asked numbly, too disturbed by their freckles warm shells to express emotion. If he was alive he'd say he was too tired for this shit. As it stood, however, he was just dead.

Behind him the deadbeats hovered, all but one present to witness their prank in action. It was a chore, but the little ghouls managed to sneak away and gather eggs from a chicken farm nearby. Just a little old man raising ten coops full of fluffy chickens, and they stole maybe fifty eggs for this. They'd return the eggs shortly if course, keeping them away for too long would certainly sour the current joy they felt at watching Lewis stare, distraught, at eggs.

One piped up, a snicker in their voice. "May I offer you an egg in these trying times?"

Lewis descended into the floor, skull in his hands. 

~~~~ elsewhere in the cottage

Death was supposedly a final hurrah; a permanent farewell to life and loved ones, to speak more eloquently. And yet, here they were, ghosts and wisps, the dead still roaming, hiding, forgetting lifetimes in wake of grief. For there was none more dangerous than a spirit left forgotten. Or a spirit who forgets, but is remembered fondly. The latter was Arthur, dormant and motionless, recovering from his energy drain. Silent.

Deathly still, as that it all which suits the dead. 

Voigt, as the wisp is named, the one of tears. The only one who trusted fully in Arthur's innocence. They sigh a useless noise from within their hollow column body, the vision of a stereotypical ghost, though lacking in white coloration. They, an extension of Lewis, found themselves at odds. Not with the prone, lifeless form before them, but with he who would call himself the Wisp's master. 

"He will devastate himself with the truth one day," spoke the creature into Arthur's vibrant sparking hair, tears of gold streaming down their purple face. "If he is not torn to pieces from the inside out, as it may be."

As it may be... the sound echoed and remained unspoken, and Voigt knew...

They knew it would, should this path continue as it is, become truth, not plausible speculation.

For should Arthur learn the truth, only pain could be derived, and betrayal. An eye for an eye. Life for life. A cycle of hatred unbroken.

The wisp knew of the demon fox, the rage it felt was radiating outwards like that of a ripple in a pond. Moving ever onward, potent. Extension though they may be, a wisp was not something to be controlled. Their kin however allowed it only for the connection a wisp gained from a spirit in return. 

Lonely creatures were unconnected wisps, lost and quiet, souls that were too long forgotten, and thus devolved.

The fox would find it's way in sooner or later, for it seemed stuck in one place, but close by. 'Waiting perhaps?' Possibly. Or maybe, planning.

The wisp listened to their kin, laughing in the other room, enjoying their prank before returning the eggs. Voigt smiled, happy despite the ever present tears and sadness. They wrapped themselves around Arthur protectively.

"You will remember, and when you do, I only hope hatred does not steel your caring personality."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little short I'm so sorry biy I must sleep


	8. That's ASS-inine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mood could be lighter, and the jokes a little more tasteful.
> 
> Do the Dead Beats care? No, not really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written in so long because of a lot of things. Family, seasonal depression, being thrust into time-constraining situations, etc. I'm so sorry for the long, long wait.
> 
> But don't worry! I do intend to finish this marvel, and I'm so glad for everyone's support and love. Every comment, bookmark, and kudos is appreciated.

Vivi sat upon the stairs of Lance's mechanic's shop, blue and red light flashing before her eyes in a mesmerizing display as her best friend was carted away in a body bag. She had watched as they removed him from the van, where Mystery demanded they place him.

She watched, as the emergency responders baffled at his wounds. His very much not crash-related wounds.

Lance answered questions while Vivi was being looked over by paramedics, she was... mostly fine. In a daze, quiet, unresponsive to anyone but Lance. The paramedics wanted to take her to the hospital, but the reaction Vivi had to it made them reconsider out of pure fear. The gravity of their situation was starting to sink in for both of them, and it was incredibly heavy on the young woman's chest. _'He's... not coming back.'_ She thought, listless, as the ambulance door closed behind Arthur's body. The police stayed behind, still in need of answers from Vivi. She gave them the same answers Lance had, but from her own point of view.

Her eyes never left the Ambulance as it rode into the distance and vanished from sight.

Lance lead her back inside, careful not to be too forceful with her as she half-stumbled through the door and onto the nearest chair. The stout man looked to her in concern, though he himself was shaking in his boots. With trepidation, anguish, anger.. There was not a negative emotion he did not feel in that moment, welling inside him, threatening to burst.

But it would wait. It would have to wait, just a while longer, he had a person to watch over.

He would cry later, when he was alone, when he could let himself grieve. And then? Then he would keep being there for Vivi.

"You want me to call your parents', Vivian?" His voice cracked as he spoke, chest aching and stuttering with the urge to weep and weep and never stop.

"No," was her soft response, "Can I stay here tonight? I.. Please?"

"Of Course, darlin', let's get you somethin' to drink, and into bed."

~~~~~~~~

_**"LEWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS"** _

A heavy body bashed against the wall, illusion holding strong. He could _smell_ him, he could smell the bastard!

"Let me through, you coward!" All around the Kitsune the ground was clawed at and trampled by his mighty weight, every enraged dash left another mark upon the ground. More evidence of his being there, more reason for any later passerby to avoid the location, and spread whispers of a 'monster' that lie just beyond the nearby town.

And more evidence for a certain ghost to very much refuse to exit his safety bubble.

"Let me in, so I can **tear you to _shreds!!"_** Mystery screeched, a terrifying sound to come from such a toothy-mouthed creature. "I can smell you, you're right there! **LET ME THROUGH OR COME OUT HERE WHERE I CAN SEE YOU!"**

A moment passed as the great beast caught his breath, the sound of heaving and birds flying away in distress being the only sounds heard. Then, suddenly... a distinct 'pop' to Mystery's left. His head swiveled with alarming speed, eyes aglow as he examined the object and.. and _card_ now next to him, faintly glowing with a distinct purple hue. The Kitsune growled lowly, then turned his mind to reading the card.

 _"You're hungry... **have a snickers...."**_ Lo and behold, the object below the card, was a large snickers candy bar.

Mystery reared back and bashed harder against the illusion/barrier blocking his sight and mobility forward. _**"WHAT THE FUCK YOU CHEEKY BASTARD."**_

~~~~~~~~

 _"wh y? ?"_ Lewis begged, staring in horror at his Dead Beats amidst the anarchy they created with their antics. Mystery was just in front of them, but strangely unable to see, hear, or get close to them. Oh, he was most certainly happy about that fact, he simply didn't understand how it had happened. So, he watched as Mystery the big deadly 9-tailed beast raged against an invisible wall... until the Dead Beats started manifesting intangible objects just within Mystery's range. First it was a clown with the not-dog's face taped on it. That did not go over well.

Then, there was the picture of a donkey's ass, a terrifying recreation of the Danny Devito egg, and finally... the snickers bar...

_**"Do you all have a permanent death wish???? We're already dead! we don't need to die twice dammit!"** _

"You sure 'bout that?" Amor, a small wisp with a toothy appearance says in amusement. "Die twice, maybe, then we'll be double ghosts."

"Double ghosts!" The others chime, mischief in their tones.

Lewis groaned as they all laughed, once again finding himself slowly descending into the floor, mystery still screaming and bashing against an invisible wall. _"Maldita sea..."_ he uttered despairingly, _"Las bolas sobre estas horribles criaturas."_

~~~~~~~~

Arthur was waiting under a chair when Lewis returned, hiding from the unintelligible screaming. Voigt wrapped around him, Arthur felt calm but wary. He didn't quite know what the little creature was, but they gave a sense of peace amidst the fear of the unknown.

"Thanks," the young ghost muttered, receiving not but a chirp in reply. "I wonder when Lewis will get back.. Where did he even go?"

Lewis's head popped from the floorboard with a startling speed that sent Arthur into a panic. The very next moment, Lewis's head was flying through a window, and the rest of him upside-down slumped against the wall. "I- I'm righ-t here..." Came the purple ghost's voice from outside. His... delayed and interrupted greeting no doubt.

"Oh crap! Oh crap oh crap- are you okay?!" Arthur wailed, rushing to right Lew's body, Voigt going to retrieve the rogue head. "I'm soso sorry!!! You startled me, big guy!"

"It's okay, really- ah.. Are you okay? I scared you pretty bad."

Arthur lowered his head into his hands, embarrassed and contrite. "Ye-Yeah... I'm fine, you just startled me, popping up out of nowhere like that..."

The purple ghost's eye sockets crinkled in semblance of a smile. "I'll try to avoid it in the future, then."

"Yeah, that uh, that'd be nice," A moment of dense silence, then- "What was all that screaming for? And-" Arthur turned his head in the direction of the noise, eyes wide. _"Why does it sound so familiar..?"_


End file.
